Gerunds and İnfinitive

Gerund and İnfinitive

Infinitives

An infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by "to." Infinitives can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

Structure:

• To + base verb

Examples and Explanations:

1. She wants to travel the world.Here, "to travel" is an infinitive that acts as the object of the verb "wants."

2. It’s important to study hard.In this sentence, "to study" is an infinitive that functions as the subject.

3. He is the person to ask for advice."To ask" is an infinitive that functions as an adjective describing "the person."

4. I forgot to call her."To call" is an infinitive that functions as the object of the verb "forgot."

1. after some verbs, e.g. wait, need, would like, etc.	I need to buy some new clothes. Try not to talk about politics.
2. after adjectives.	It 'll be nice to meet your parents. It's important not to be late.
3. after question words, e.g. what, where, when, etc.	I don't know where to go or what to do.
4. to say why you do something.	A Why did you go to the party?   B To meet new people. I went to the party to meet new people.

Verbs Followed by an Infinitive (Gerund and İnfinitive)

agree aim	dare decide	intend leap	say shoot	want wish
appear arrange	deserve detest	leave like	consent continue	start stop
ask attempt	dislike expect	long love	plan prefer	strive swear
be able beg	fail forget	mean neglect	prepare proceed	threaten try
begin care	get happen	offer ought	promise propose	use  wait
choose condescend	have hesitate	hope harry	refuse remember

1. as the subject or object of a sentence.	Eating outside in the summer makes me feel good. My idea of happiness is getting up late and not going to work.
2. after some verbs, e.g. like, love, hate, enjoy, etc.	I love reading in bed.  I hate not getting to the airport early.
3. after prepositions.	l'm thinking of buying a new car. He left without saying goodbye

Verbs Followed by a Gerund (Gerund and İnfinitive)

Gerunds

A gerund is the -ing form of a verb that functions as a noun. It’s often used to talk about activities or hobbies.

Structure:

• Verb + -ing

Examples and Explanations:

1. Swimming is good for your health.Here, "swimming" is a gerund that acts as the subject of the sentence.

2. She enjoys reading novels.In this sentence, "reading" is the gerund that functions as the object of the verb "enjoys."

3. I’m interested in learning Spanish."Learning" is a gerund that follows the preposition "in."

4. They are tired of waiting."Waiting" is the gerund that follows the preposition "of."

   
   

admit advise appreciate avoid can`t help complete	delay deny detest dislike enjoy escape	finish forbid get through have imagine mind	permit postpone practice quit recall report
consider resist resume	excuse risk spend(time)	miss suggest tolerate	resent waste (time)

like, love, hate, and prefer

like, love, hate, and prefer are usually used with the gerund in British English but can also be used with the infinitive. 

  We tend to use the gerund when we talk generally and the infinitive when we talk specifically e.g.:

I like swimming (general)

I like to swim first thing in the morning when there aren't many people there (specific) 

I prefer cycling to driving (general)

You don't need to give me a lift to the station. I prefer to walk (specific) 

When like, love, hate, and prefer are used with would, they are always followed by to+ infinitive, e.g. I'd prefer to stay at home tonight, I'd love to come with you.

Using Gerunds and Infinitives

Some verbs, adjectives, and nouns are followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, and sometimes the meaning can change depending on which form you use.

Verbs Followed by Gerunds:

1. Enjoy:

   • I enjoy playing tennis.

     
     

     “Playing” is the gerund used after “enjoy.”

2. Avoid:

   • She avoids eating junk food.

     
     

     “Eating” is the gerund used after “avoid.”

3. Consider:

   • They considered moving to another city.

     
     

     “Moving” is the gerund used after “consider.”

Verbs Followed by Infinitives:

1. Want:

   • I want to go home.

     
     

     “To go” is the infinitive used after “want.”

2. Decide:

   • He decided to join the gym.

     
     

     “To join” is the infinitive used after “decide.”

3. Hope:

   • She hopes to find a new job soon.

     
     

     “To find” is the infinitive used after “hope.”

     
     

Gerund vs. Infinitive

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, but the meaning might change.

1. Stop:

   • Stop smoking. (Quit the habit of smoking.)

   • Stop to smoke. (Pause what you are doing in order to smoke.)

2. Remember:

   • I remember meeting him before. (Recalling a past event.)

   • Remember to meet him at the station. (A future action.)

3. Try:

   • Try cooking this recipe. (Experiment with cooking.)

   • Try to cook this recipe. (Make an effort to cook.)

Adjectives Followed by Gerunds or Infinitives:

1. Good at:

   • She’s good at singing. (Gerund)

2. Eager to:

   • He’s eager to start the project. (Infinitive)

Nouns Followed by Gerunds or Infinitives:

1. Interest in:

   • She has an interest in photography. (Gerund)

2. Opportunity to:

   • I got an opportunity to travel abroad. (Infinitive)

Summary

• Gerunds are used as nouns and follow certain verbs and prepositions.

• Infinitives can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs and follow many verbs and adjectives.

GRAMMAR  (Gerund and İnfinitive)

a. Complete with a gerund or infinitive with to of a verb from the list.

carry          call          come          do          drive          eat out  

go out           take          tidy          wait          work

Ex: I'm exhausted! I don't fancy going out tonight.

1) I suggest _____ a taxi to the airport tomorrow. It'll be much quicker.

2) Even though the snow was really deep, we managed _____ to the local shop and back.

3) We'd better_____ some shopping- there isn't much food for the weekend.

4) I'm very impatient. I can't stand _____ in queues.

5) I wasn't well and a young man offered_____ my bags.

6) My parents used to make me _____ my room.

7) We threatened _____ the police if the boys didn't stop throwing stones.

8) Do you feel like_____ to the gym with me?

9) I'd prefer _____ instead of getting a takeaway.

10) I don't mind_____ late tonight if you want me to.

A 1 taking                                       6 tidy 

    2 to drive                                    7 to call

    3 do                                            8 coming 

    4 waiting                                     9 to eat out / eating out

    5 to carry                                    10 working